


time to dance

by Satine86



Series: that modern AU [5]
Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 12:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14496633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Satine86/pseuds/Satine86
Summary: A year into their relationship and Phillip is acting weird. Anne is on a mission to find out why.





	time to dance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [XtinaG](https://archiveofourown.org/users/XtinaG/gifts).



> XtinaG this one's for you since you asked about maybe getting the proposal, and I'm apparently heavily susceptible to suggestion. Also I wish I could bottle up this prolific inspiration for rainy days, geeze.
> 
> Again, not necessary to read time to pretend, just helpful for small details.

He was acting shifty. There was no other way to put it, and Anne was completely baffled. 

First Phillip had started off being kind of jumpy, trying to covertly check his phone or computer when he thought Anne wouldn’t notice. Hiding the screen the second she was in view. She had once jokingly asked if he was looking at porn, he had given a strained laugh and quickly changed the subject. 

Next he had been flatout nervous. Every morning he seemed more on edge, to the point he once spilled a cup of coffee the second she walked into the kitchen. 

Then he had started disappearing. It had started off barely noticable, errands that took a little longer than usual. Easily attributed to waiting for a taxi or long lines. Though eventually he started leaving work, not that she was keeping tabs exactly, but since it was usually impossible to pry the man away from his paperwork, it was difficult not to take notice. 

They were always short trips, with no real pattern to them that she could make out. She had tried to discern if he had picked up his AA attendance, but beside the general jitteriness, he seemed in good spirits. She also knew he would talk to her if things had changed. Same if he had decided to sponsor someone, she would at least know. Besides the timing never made sense to her. It always during the day, business hours as far as she could tell.

It came to the point where she had voiced her confusion to Lettie, the two women hiding behind some old props when Phillip snuck out of the back door of the theater. It was just past two in the afternoon, and she knew he had no meetings scheduled for that day. 

“You don’t think…?” Lettie asked once he was gone, arched her eyebrows pointedly. 

“What? That he’s seeing someone on the side?” Anne wrinkled her nose, but Lettie nodded; although she was already looking embarrassed at the suggestion. 

Anne could only blink at her friend for a moment in disbelief before she started laughing. She leaned forward, hands braced on her thighs. Eventually she managed to get herself under control, wiped the tears from her eyes. 

“Oh my god, no. Have you met Phillip?” She held up her hand. “One, he’s not the type. Two, he wouldn’t even notice if another woman was flirting with him, let alone act on it. Three, he loves me.” 

Since the start of their relationship that was one thing Anne never had to doubt: Phillip’s complete devotion to her. It was painfully obvious in everything he did, in every look he gave her, and she wondered how she had once been so blind to it. 

She also had firsthand experience with his complete lack of self-awareness. He was handsome, everyone knew it, he was also successful, which was perhaps lesser known but if anyone read the society pages they knew the name Carlyle and clout it held. Even if he no longer had contact with his family. 

There had been more than one occasion since they had started dating, when someone -- be it waitresses or theater patrons or even just a random guest at some dinner function they were forced to attend -- had been overly friendly, all flirtatious smiles and batted lashes. Phillip had remained perfectly polite in each instance, completely and blissfully unaware of his place as a desirable bachelor in the eyes of many. Anne’s presence be damned. 

“You’re right,” Lettie said with a sigh. “It’s just fishy, is all!”

Anne nodded at Lettie’s words, though her mind was going over the details of what she knew. She knew she had no reason to worry about Phillip cheating. She knew this had nothing to do with AA meetings or anything of that nature. She knew it wasn’t business. 

That left one possibility she could imagine. But… that would be ridiculous. Wouldn’t it?

“Hey, are you okay?” Lettie waved a hand in front of Anne’s face.

“Hm? Yeah, just thinking.” She looked up at Lettie, met her eyes. “If I have an idea of what this could be, and I want to confirm it. Is it bad if I snoop on his computer?” 

Lettie looked as if she were seriously thinking it over. There were plenty of reasons against it; trust, an invasion of privacy…. Anne decided not to give Lettie a chance to answer, and possibly talk her out of it. So she turned on her heel and rushed to Phillip’s office.

She sat in his chair, opened the lap and sighed in, immediately went to his search history and……

Jewelry stores. It looked like every single one that had a website within the entirety of Manhattan had been visited at least once within the last month. Anne didn’t go further than that. Her suspicion was confirmed. 

“Good or bad?” Lettie asked from the door, obviously wary. 

Anne looked up at Lettie, tears in her eyes as a smile broke out on her face. “I think he’s going to propose.” 

 

* * *

 

The waiting was starting to get to her. Anne hadn’t told Phillip she knew, instead she let him continue on as he had been. Trying to covertly sneak off to jewelry stores without her noticing. And within two days his random excursions ended. 

That meant he had the ring. 

Part of Anne wanted to find it, but that would require more snooping. Besides, the idea of being completely surprised in that one aspect was a little thrilling. So she waited for him to pop the question.

And she waited.

And she waited. 

Two weeks since she had snooped on his computer, and more than a month since the start of his shifty behavior and still nothing. 

Anne was seriously pondering if she should bring it up, or maybe just allude to the fact she knew his intentions, when he sat beside her on the couch on their day off. She had been channeling surfing, her mind more focused on proposals than what she was watching, her knees pulled up to her chest, when he reached out and gently pulled on her pant leg. 

“Hm?” Glancing toward him, she realized how incredibly nervous he seemed, and for a brief moment wondered if this was it. As much as she wanted it to finally happen, she also hoped it wouldn't. Not when she was lounging around in oversized track pants with messy hair. 

“I was thinking, we haven’t really had a date night recently.” He was looking down, fingers fiddling with the hem of her pants. 

“We haven't,” she agreed, tried her best to keep her voice light. 

“I know I’ve been kind of distant lately, I just had some things to take care of.”

“Mhm,” Anne hummed. 

“Since it’s not a show night, how about we go out? There’s a place P.T. mentioned, it sounded nice. Quiet.” He finally looked up at her, attempting to appear completely nonchalaunt, but Anne had to discreetly bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the fear she saw in his eyes. 

“I think that sounds nice,” she finally said. “Do I need to dress up?” 

“Uh…” He looked panicked for a split second, like he hadn’t thought that far ahead. “You can wear whatever you want.”

“Okay.” She smiled at him. “It’s a date.” 

“Great!” He looked relieved, though he quickly tried to school his face into something more neutral. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m just going to hop in the shower.”

“Sure.” Anne watched him, wondered if he actually thought he was fooling her. Though the minute he was out of sight, she realized that he did. A smile bloomed on her face, her heart fluttering inside her chest. How could one man be so adorably clueless? 

 

* * *

 

Anne chose to dress up that night, thankful she could change out of workout clothes and actually do her hair. With summer just starting to creep in, the nights were finally getting warmer. So Anne settled on an off the shoulder maxi dress, with a red rose print. She left her hair down in a riot of tight curls, and left her face relatively bare except for a bright red lipstick. 

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Phillip’s face was the same as it always when he thought she looked particularly beautiful: eyes wide, brows arched, and mouth nearly hanging open. She laughed softly. 

“You look stunning, as always,” he said when he finally shook himself from his stupor. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. 

“You’re not so bad yourself.” He’d worn a crisp white button up, neatly pressed black slacks, and he had polished his shoes to a high shine. 

“Well, you know, I need to try to keep up.” Phillip smiled, and Anne thought he looked more relaxed now. The corners of his eyes weren’t nearly as pinched as they had been earlier. 

“So where are we going exactly?” Anne asked, picking up a wrap and following Phillip out of the bedroom. 

“That’s a surprise.” 

“There will be food though, right?” 

Phillip picked up her hand, kissed her wrist. “I know better than to let you starve.” 

“Are you implying that I’m a glutton?” 

“No, I’m implying that you get hangry and it’s scary.” 

Anne laughed as she stepped out their front door, watching as Phillip very carefully, and very discreetly checked his jacket pocket. Her grin was nearly impossible to suppress. 

Their taxi ride was relatively short, and Anne grew more confused the closer they got to their destination. It wasn’t until they stood on the sidewalk before the building that she voiced her confusion.

“Phillip? This is the theater.” 

“I know, just… trust me?” He offered her his arm and she took it gingerly, letting him guide her inside. 

He led her inside, up the stairs to P.T’s office and some of the storage rooms, down the short corridor to the heavy steel door at the very end. From there they climbed the steps to the roof. Anne was sure she had never actually been up there, hadn’t been overly keen on the idea of looking at roofing materials and the back of the marque that protruded slightly above the building. 

What she found instead was a far cry from what she imagined. While a good portion of the roof was unassuming in every regard, one back corner had been completely transformed. There were rows of potted plants and shrubs framing the space, acting as a barrier. A large, square trellis had been brought up, covered in twinkling lights and what appeared to be real ivy. 

Underneath the trellis there was grass, lush and green and rolled out like a carpet. On top of that was a checkered blanket and a picnic basket that appeared to be stuffed full of food.

“No clouds to watch, but that might be for the best.” 

She turned to look at Phillip, realized he was nervous again. His head angled down as he rubbed his neck. 

“It’s amazing,” she said.

He looked up then, smiled at her. “I’m glad you think so.” 

The moment they made it to the grass, Anne kicked off her shoes. “It’s real grass,” she said, dug her toes into it. “How did you manage all this?”

“With a lot of help from P.T. I’m going to owe him so many favors, if for no other reason than he listened to me--” Phillip cut himself, and Anne knew enough to finish the sentence herself, _“listened to me endlessly panic about the proposal.”_

“Listened to you what?” she asked innocently instead.

“Nothing. Just listened to me plan and worry it wouldn’t work out.” He laughed a little bit. “I nearly had a coronary when the weather report said it might rain.” 

“Well, I think we’re in for a nice night.” 

“Yeah, I hope so.” Phillip started unpacking their picnic, and Anne pretended not to notice that his hands shook slightly. She almost wanted to put him out of his misery, but she also didn’t want to ruin all of his hard work. And, truth be told, she was getting a little nervous herself. 

The food was from one of their favorite takeout places, everything perfectly delicious. They sipped sparkling cider in real crystal flutes in place of champagne, while music softly filtered out from a few speakers tucked out of sight. 

Anne thought even if he didn’t propose, the night was already perfect. 

“There’s something I realized when I was putting this all together,” Phillip said after they had finished their meal, everything packed away again. 

“What’s that?” 

“You still owe me a dance.” 

She stared at him for a moment before a slow grin spread across her face, and she laughed. “I do, don’t I?” 

Anne was a little surprised he had even remembered. Eddie and Heather’s wedding had been over a year ago, and so much else had overshadowed that particular night. It had completely escaped her memory that was what she had been going to do before Eddie waylaid her, and all hell had then broken loose. She had been returning to the reception to dance with Phillip. 

He rose from his spot next to her, held out his hand and offered her a short bow. “May I have this dance?” 

With a smile, Anne slipped her hand into his, let him help her up. Somehow the music had changed to something better suited for a dance. He placed his hand on her waist, the other gently clutching her fingers. She lifted her free hand, placed it on his shoulder.

“Be nice now, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to do ballroom.” Anne giggled.

“Me too, but I think we’ll manage.” 

Phillip was surprisingly surefooted as they moved across the grassy dance floor. Anne hadn’t been lying when she said it had been years. She hadn’t taken a ballroom class since she was still in training, and had to think hard to recall the steps for a proper waltz. 

“So is ballroom training also a rich people thing?” she asked.

He laughed. “Sort of? Because my mother is my mother, I escorted a lot of debutants to a lot of formal events in high school. Knowing how to waltz was a requirement.” 

“I bet you were adorable though, baby faced and all gussied up in your tuxedos. Did the girls all swoon when you swept them off their feet?” She batted her eyes. 

Phillip pulled a face, let go over her waist and spun her out. Anne made a graceful line with her arm, extending her fingers like her old teacher had told her time and time again. When she twirled back to Phillip, he smoothly changed his hold and dipped her. 

“I’ve only ever cared to sweep one woman off her feet,” he said.

Anne laughed and tilted her head back, felt Phillip’s lips graze the base of her throat. She sighed. “Well, you’re doing a good job so far.” 

When he righted her again, Phillip gently placed his hands on her hips and guided her until they were nearly centered under the trellis. 

“I need you to stand, right… here,” he said, eyes looking up. Anne glanced up as well, though she couldn’t imagine why she needed to be standing in such a specific spot.

“Why do I need to stand here?” she asked, and her question was soon answered when rose petals started falling. Pale lavender rose petals. Anne’s mouth dropped open. “Where are they coming from?” She looked up, tried to find the source through the slats of the trellis. 

“It’s a secret.” 

Glancing down again, Anne found Phillip on bended knee before her. Her heart skipped a beat, and felt so happy she thought she might start crying.

“Yes,” she said before he even opened his mouth. “Yes.” 

“I haven’t asked anything yet.” 

“I don’t care, the answer is yes.” 

A smile broke out on his face before he hung his head, laughing. “Can I at least get through the speech?” 

“Okay.” Anne was practically vibrating with excitement. She had known he would ask, had been preparing herself for two weeks, and yet it was even better than she could had hoped for. 

“Anne--”

“No, wait, you can tell it to me later.” Anne dropped to her knees, flung her arms around Phillip’s neck and kissed him soundly. 

Phillip dropped his knee to the ground, pulled her close until they were pressed together from their thighs up to their chests. They pulled apart after a while, sharing quick, soft kisses while they caught their breath. 

“Do you want your ring?” he asked. Anne nodded enthusiastically, curls bouncing. 

Laughing, Phillip brought one hand around and held up the small velvet box. Anne took it and slowly pried it open. Inside was what appeared to be a vintage ring, a single pearl set in platinum with three small diamonds flanking each side. It was beautiful. 

“I know it’s not the most traditional, and lord knows it’s a lot more understated that the family ring you might’ve gotten before--”

Anne shook her head, cutting him off. 

“It’s perfect.” She slipped it on her finger, surprised he had gotten the size exactly right. “This whole thing is perfect. You’re perfect.” She reached out and cupped his face in her hands, touched her forehead to his. 

“I love you,” he whispered. “I know the answer is yes, but can I still ask?” 

She pulled back and giggled, nodded gently.

Phillip pulled her hands from his face, kissed her knuckles on each hand, before meeting her gaze fully. The amount of love and pure adoration she saw reflected in his eyes practically stole her breath away. She had never felt more beautiful, more special in all her life. 

“Anne Wheeler, will you marry me?” 

This time she did cry, unable to contain her happiness as tears filled her eyes. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she said and kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> also this is my kinda inspiration for the ring: [follow the link](https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/rings/engagement-rings/french-1920s-platinum-diamond-natural-pearl-ring/id-j_2570653/)


End file.
